Waste fires reported in Gurgaon’s Sadar Market lanes

Smoke from burning waste, including plastic, is drifting through the narrow lanes of Gurgaon’s Sadar Market, where shopkeepers and visitors say piled-up garbage has become a health and fire-safety concern.

Shopkeepers said waste was being set alight at several spots in and around the market. They linked the accumulation of garbage to the ongoing sanitation workers’ strike. One shopkeeper said smoke lingered through the day, causing burning eyes and itchy throats, while some customers left because of the fumes.

The tightly packed lanes leave little room between shops, electrical wiring, street vendors and pedestrians. Sushma, a shopper, said there was barely space to move through the passages, much less evacuate if a fire spread. Another visitor, Rajat, said pedestrians, including children, had to pass close to the burning piles.

Traders and visitors have asked civic authorities to stop the waste burning, remove the piled-up garbage and increase monitoring. MCG officials said they would look into the complaints.